Regenerative amplification and bifurcations in a burst-mode Nd:YAG laser

An Nd:YAG-based burst-mode regenerative amplifier laser was developed that offers high extraction efficiency at high repetition rates with low seed energies. The regenerative amplification technique, combined with the burst-mode laser technology, shows promise as an efficient method for amplification of femtojoule-nanojoule pulses up to millijoule energies at repetition rates exceeding 100 kHz. Output energies at repetition rates near the inverse upper state lifetime are limited by bifurcations in the pulse energies of the burst. A model is developed and advantages and limitations are discussed.